Justice League: The Unity
by KurosuDrakhal
Summary: An alternate retelling of the Justice League's origin; features the original Justice League lineup, along with secondary characters within the DC Universe. The first story of a new DC Universe created by yours truly! Rated T for violence.
1. The Bat and the Alien

Chapter 1: The Bat and The Alien

Somewhere in another dimension, there is a planet which exceeds even the human's imagination of hell; a place where literal demons cohabitate, ruled by their grey faced god, overlooking the fiery pits of this planet. Apokolips. The grey faced god, his name Darkseid, looked at the planet he ruled with a stoic expression. Unwavering, but also unsatisfied; he was hungry, anticipating the future. An old but healthy-looking woman, with white hair, wearing green armour, approached Darkseid, her yellow cape waving slightly due to the hot winds of Apokolips.

"Granny Goodness," Darkseid said, his face still pointed towards the horizon. "I assume that our forces are ready to mobilise?"

"Yes, my lord, the Parademons are ready to be released at full force. The Furies are also standing by. We are ready to invade to Earth, at your command," Granny Goodness replied, her voice unnaturally deep.

"Then release them. Call Steppenwolf," Darkseid declared, turning towards Granny Goodness, his red eyes swelling with the Omega Sanction, and his hands held behind his back. His black armour reflected the red light emanating from the landscape of Apokolips, and his voice was amplified by the echo in the room. "The Parademons will sweep across the land, and no man will escape the wrath of Darkseid!"

On Earth, the night sky is polluted with the bright lights of the city below. Gotham. Towering over most of the buildings within this urban jungle is the Wayne Enterprises building, where a man shrouded within the shadows, a black cape covering his entire body as he crouched, waiting for even the slightest mishap in the city's law and order, like a predator stalking, waiting patiently for its prey. Suddenly, police sirens blared, followed by the cars it originated from, zooming through the roads of Gotham. Through his earpiece, he intercepted the police dispatch:  
"All units to the Bowery, I repeat, all units to the Bowery. Commissioner Gordon has been captured by an unknown metahuman, we need back up here now!"

The Batman leapt into action, somersaulting off the building on which he crouched, simultaneously grabbing a grapnel gun out of his utility belt and firing it towards a building near him, swinging off and gliding towards the direction of the Bowery.

Within mere minutes, he reached the Bowery, crouching on top of the gargoyle overlooking the ongoing crime scene. On the roof was James Gordon, bruised and bloodied, but not dead, laying on the floor, writhing in agony. Accompanying him was a grotesque looking creature, hunchbacked, his wings insect-like, protruding out of his back. His skin was grey and most of his body was covered by a green and gold-coloured armour. It was screeching nonsensically, while also holding a red cube, pulsating with unknown levels of energy. Batman observed the scene carefully, ensuring that he secures the cube while also saving Commissioner Gordon from the unknown creature.

"I can distract the creature long enough for you to grab the civilian, Batman."

Batman widened his eyes in shock by the voice inside his head. This voice was alien, deep, but also he knew to trust it, despite his reservations and uneasiness. Suddenly, an ethereal form of a man wearing blue armour, with red crosses on his torso, coupled with a red cape covering his back, phased out of the ceiling and solidified, punching the creature in the right side of its face, sending it flying into an antenna tower on the building. Batman followed suit, as if he had worked with him before, gliding on the roof they were on and grabbing Commissioner Gordon.

"I've got you, Gordon, you're safe. I'll get you to the GCPD below." Batman said, slinging his left arm across his shoulder and helping him up. He grabbed his grapnel gun and pointed it towards the building next to them, firing it.  
"Thanks, Batman; I see you've made a new friend," Gordon replied, coughing blood. Batman merely grunted in reply.

The green alien had, meanwhile, subdued the creature, using a metal piece from the antenna tower to bind him to the tower, incapacitating him. He scanned the monster, his red eyes observing him from head to toe. Batman landed next to him, looking at the green alien with a slight scowl.  
"Who are you?" the caped crusader asked, looking at the monster.  
"It is not important; right now, we must focus on the task at hand," the green alien replied, looking at the monster. "I have the ability to read his mind; we can find out his purpose and aim…"  
The creature snarled as his red eyes glowed. After mere moments, the alien writhed in pain, falling to the ground. The creature laughed and the red cube glowed. Yellow energy started to release between the cracks of the creature's armour.  
"Hail Darkseid!" the creature howled as he exploded from the inside, green blood splattering in all directions and smoke covering both the Bat and the alien. As the smoke cleared, the red box started to hum slightly. The alien keeled over, and Batman helped him up.

"Thank you, Batman. My name is J'onn J'onzz, the last son of Mars," the alien said, "Some of your human kind call me the Martian Manhunter."  
"You've been seen everywhere, Manhunter," Batman replied, "People think you're a myth."

"People outside of Gotham believe that too," Martian Manhunter said, his eyes glowing red. "However, we don't have time; the creature that exploded is known as a Parademon, part of an army of a hellish planet known as Apokolips. We need to hurry and gather the rest of the heroes… Darkseid is coming."  
"Darkseid?" Batman questioned.

"The god of Apokolips. He travels between worlds through Mother Boxes," the Martian replied, pointing to the red cube. "Superman has faced him many times before."

"The Kryptonian… I have heard of his exploits," Batman pondered. "He was involved in the Hell in Metropolis event a few years ago. He's a threat."

"Funny," a voice interjected from above. "I could say the same for you, Batman."

Batman and the Martian Manhunter turned to see a man hovering in the air over them. His red cape blew in the direction of the breeze, the moonlight reflecting off the insignia of his costume, a red S. His blue and red costume gleamed from the moonlight as he gazed towards the two acquainted heroes.  
"So, what can we do with Darkseid?"


	2. The Invasion Begins

"Superman," Batman glared at the individual hovering over him. The Kryptonian, clad in blue and red, landed on the ground, looking at the two heroes with slight uneasiness.

"I was called here by J'onn," Superman declared. Batman turned to the Martian Manhunter with an unamused expression, the Martian returned the look with calmness.

"We need all the help we can get, Batman. There have been sightings of these Parademons all over the country; I have been trying to stop as many of them as possible, but I fear that these separate incursions are more than just a coincidence," the Martian Manhunter explained, with a heavy tone in his voice.

"I have faced Darkseid once before and even then, he only brought with him a small army of Parademons," Superman added. "Metropolis barely escaped unscathed; I think he's coming back for revenge."

"I have been tracking these "Parademon" incursions for months too," Batman replied. "Their movements have been erratic. If I can get back to the Batcave-"

Ping.

The Mother Box began to shake unpredictably, energy emanating from it with sheer ferocity, and rose to the sky. Following the shake, a resounding boom, followed by the opening of a portal to hell itself. Out of the portal came hordes of Parademons, this time carrying weapons which surpassed human understanding, their screeching piercing the sky like thunder, alerting the city of their presence.  
"It has begun," Martian Manhunter said.  
"We need to move. Now." Batman replied. Superman didn't speak and flew towards the incoming horde with unfathomable speed, his eyes crimson red. Within seconds, the horde was immediately split in half, and the sky began to display red flashes, courtesy of Superman's heat vision. Martian Manhunter immediately followed suit, flying headfirst into a group of Parademons, his punches creating sonic booms in the sky. Batman looked at the ground below, the Parademons capturing innocent civilians and flying off. Batman jumped off the roof, freefalling towards the ground. At the same time, the Batmobile travelled through the streets, swerving past incoming traffic, while also firing artillery rounds at the Parademons with precision. In perfect sync, the Batmobile stopped where Batman was freefalling, and Batman opened his cape, gliding into the Batmobile. The upper hatch was closed, and the Batmobile immediately entered offensive mode. While the two aliens were trying to halt the invasion in the sky, Batman held his own on the ground, firing relentlessly but accurately at the incoming hordes.

Superman continued to fight, each blast by the Parademons careened off his body of steel, his punches creating sonic booms which echoed in the night sky, followed by red flashes, reminiscent of lightning and thunder. However, the Parademons kept coming in full force, overrunning Superman while falling towards the ground. Superman, using his extraordinary strength, kept flying, eventually releasing himself from the horde that covered him, grabbing a bus and swinging it towards the horde with brute force, scattering them and sending them flying.  
"There's too many of them," Superman said. "If we keep this up, we'll be overrun."  
"You are correct, Kryptonian!" a booming voice said in the sky. Suddenly, a man, bearing a helmet with horns and a battleaxe flew out of the portal, colliding into the Martian Manhunter and sending the Last Son of Mars crashing into the ground. The man stood over the Martian, ordained in silver armour, a belt with a red skull on his waist, and his figure towering over Superman. "Darkseid said you were the reason he failed to conquer this planet… I will bring him your head!"  
"Not a chance," Superman replied, flying towards the unknown assailant at high speed.

 **Central City**

The chaos unfolding in Gotham wasn't an isolated incident. The skies of Central City were blood red, and the skies were filled with swarming Parademons like locusts, blotting out the moonlight of the night sky. On the streets, were Parademons marching. Suddenly, three red blurs zoomed across the city streets, sending Parademons flying in different directions. Yellow lightning crackled as they ran past hordes of Parademons after another, eventually stopping next to each other. This was the home of the Flash, the Scarlet Speedster, yellow lightning crackling around his suit, with a lightning bolt insignia on his chest, his red suit covered in yellow lines. To the left of him was another Flash, clad in red armour, his lightning bolt insignia silver instead of yellow, while the hero on his right was the speedster named Kid Flash, his suit was yellow instead of red.  
"We need to evacuate as many civilians out of the streets as possible. Wally, you start evacuating. Bart, you need to divert some of the Parademons back to CCPD, Jesse Quick and Jay may already be nearby. I'll try and take out as many of the Parademons as possible." The Flash directed. The two Flashes nodded and sped off into the distance. The Flash started to run and within seconds, he defeated at least ten Parademons at once, his speed incalculable, being only a red blur to the naked eye, sending Parademons flying in different directions. He stopped in the middle of the street and began to point his arms up at the sky and rotated them at a high speed, creating twisters that made the Parademons struggle to fly, some of them freefalling to the ground. Catching the Parademons' attention, the Scarlet Speedster began to run, the insect-like creatures following suit. As he began to pick up speed, a voice called out to him, an alien voice, deep but trusting, however he was in a large amount of pain.  
"Barry Allen… We need you in Gotham City," it called out.  
"I can't right now, I don't even know you," The Flash replied, continuing the chase throughout the city.  
"I know your situation, and help is on the way."

Straight after the voice's claim, a green light began to travel towards where the Flash was running, and he stopped. The green light was later revealed to be a fighter jet, and it dissipated to reveal the man within; a man clad in green in black, the ring on his finger glowing a green light. The light from his ring glowed brighter, and the man formed three missiles with his ring, sending it flying into the Parademon horde, exploding on contact. The Parademons were thrown back, some flying into the buildings, unconscious, and some retreating. The man landed on the ground, and the Flash ran up to him as he turned to face him.  
"Hal, you're meant to be in Coast City, these monsters-" The Flash said.  
"We have it mostly under control there," Hal replied. "We had backup; most of the Green Lanterns from Earth have come, and so have some of the Green Lanterns from other sectors. I was called by a voice to come here and help you, and then to head to Gotham."  
"You were called too?"  
"Yeah, I wasn't convinced that I could trust him especially with all the hell breaking loose in Coast City. I didn't think your city would be affected too."  
"We're in emergency right now, the CCPD and the other two speedsters are working to stop it; I don't think we have time to leave Central City do we?"  
"Come to Gotham now, we don't have time! Superman, Batman and I are fighting as we speak, and we need your assistance! A warrior named Steppenwolf has just appeared in Gotham along with many Parademons and Superman is facing him right now! To those who hear this message, come now!" the alien voice shouted in their heads. The Flash and the Green Lantern did not hesitate, immediately travelling towards Gotham.

 **Gotham City**

The man clad in black armour and holding a black axe, known as Steppenwolf, stood in front of Superman, who was hovering over the ground. The Martian Manhunter and Batman continued to fight the Parademons around them. However, for every Parademon they took down, another fought in its place. They were beginning to be overrun, and all three of them knew it.  
"The longer you fight me, Superman, the more your allies will tire. Both will be suitable as Darkseid's servants, especially that human you call the Batman," Steppenwolf claimed, grinning at Superman.  
"I stopped Darkseid before, I'll stop him again!" Superman replied defiantly, flying at full speed towards Steppenwolf and throwing a punch which landed on Steppenwolf's stomach, sending him flying into a building nearby. Superman followed suit, his eyes glowing red with his heat vision, firing it at Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf merely blocked the heat vision with his axe and jumped towards Superman with a smile, swinging his axe ferociously, while Superman blocked the swings with his arms. Steppenwolf finally found an opening, his axe colliding with Superman's head, sending him flying into the ground. Steppenwolf landed on his feet, with Superman trying to stand. A boom tube opened behind Steppenwolf, and with it numerous hordes of Parademons. He smirked at Superman, who was ready to fight.  
"Resistance is futile, Superman; your world will be overrun," Steppenwolf declared, picking up the Mother Box next to him. "Now, I must attend to business somewhere else… Enjoy my army of Parademons, Kryptonian!" Steppenwolf walked into the portal, and the boom tube closed. Batman and the Martian Manhunter walked towards him, facing the many Parademons coming their way.  
"We need to retreat; they'll defeat us eventually if we don't," Batman claimed. The hordes of Parademons began to travel towards them.  
"Then you'll be glad to see us," a voice said. A red blur stopped next to Batman, while a man wielding a green ring, clad in black and green with the symbol of the Green Lantern Corps on his chest landed next to Martian Manhunter. They all looked at the incoming hordes.  
"You got my message," Martian Manhunter said.  
"Who else did you send it to?" The Flash asked.  
"That doesn't matter right now," Batman interjected. "We need to start fighting back. Superman, Manhunter, you're our damage dealers, take out as many of them as possible." Superman and the Martian Manhunter both nodded, flying towards the incoming horde. The Flash and Green Lantern looked at Batman questionably.  
"I don't know what you two can do, but we need to set up a perimeter. Do what you can and go," Batman said.  
"What are you going to do?" Green Lantern asked. "You don't have any powers, do you?"  
"No," Batman replied. "I'm rich." As if on cue, a jet-black fighter plane appeared out of the sky, and Batman used his grappling gun to get inside. The plane began to fly into the battlefield, accompanying Superman and Martian Manhunter.  
"I already hate him," Green Lantern remarked.  
"Well, we don't have time to argue. Let's go," The Flash replied. They both decided to move into action, The Flash evacuating civilians, and Green Lantern creating a dome over the battlefield, creating a perimeter, while simultaneously fighting with the other four heroes.


	3. Themyscira's Fight, The Seven Unite

**Island of Themyscira, Home of the Amazons**

It seemed that not even ancient lands are spared from Darkseid's invasion of Earth. Themyscira, home of the Amazons, was one of these places. Boom tubes opened all over the island, releasing forth multitudes of Parademons. Leading them was Granny Goodness, surrounded by a fierce group of women known as the Female Furies.

"Cripple their armies, my Furies! Find the Mother Box!" Granny Goodness commanded, and then she walked back into the Boom Tube, hands behind her back, the Boom Tube closing as she did so. The Furies mobilised, running into the battlefield where the Amazons, women of war clad in Ancient Greek armour, were fighting against the Parademons. One of the Furies, a woman covered in black with grey banding on her legs, holding steel whips, ran through the army of Amazons like butter, her steel whips strangling and smashing through Amazonian warriors. She was accompanied by a woman with yellow skin and green hair, with claws for fingers and grey armour covering her chest, slashing through Amazon armour like a hot knife through butter, cackling as she did so.

"You should save some for me, Lashina," the green haired woman cackled to the woman with silver whips as she cut through Amazonian flesh.

"Do not become distracted, Mad Harriet, you heard what Granny commanded of us," Lashina replied. "Gilotina, Stompa!"  
Two Furies, who were running behind her, began to start attacking. A woman with silver armour, holding two swords, jumped in front of Lashina and Mad Harriet, cutting through every Amazon she saw, the woman named Gilotina. Simultaneously, a woman, clad in red armour and a red and yellow helmet with a yellow cape, stomped her foot on the ground. The three Furies in front of her jumped up, as the island began to shake, creating cracks on the ground which swallowed the Amazons.

On a hill overlooking the battlefield, an Amazon with golden Ancient Greek armour and a yellow cape and boots overlooked the chaos beginning to unfold. Her face remained stoic, but uneasy, as she saw the Furies cut through the Amazons like cannon fodder.  
"Queen Hippolyta, we need to go, now!" one of her Amazonian warriors called out to her. She turned, holding the Mother Box, giving it to one of her Amazons.

"My Queen, we need to go-"

"No," Hippolyta replied. "The Mother Box is more important than my life, and those Furies will not be held back for long!"

"But my queen-"

"Go!" Hippolyta commanded.  
The Amazonian warrior nodded and a group of them mounted horses, beginning to ride towards the other side of the island. Hippolyta braced herself as the Furies began to ascend towards her, holding her sword at the ready. The Female Fury known as Mad Harriet pounced towards the Queen of Themyscira, her claws pointed straight at Hippolyta with malicious intent. Hippolyta lunged forward, however she felt the wind blow past her ear; Mad Harriet had suddenly been blown back. A woman, wearing Amazonian armour covered in red, blue and gold, her Amazonian plateskirt waving in the wind as she did so. Her grey-coloured bracelets gleamed amidst the chaos, while the golden shield she held with her left hand covered the front of her body, her right hand holding her sword, pointed towards the incoming Furies.  
"Mother," the woman said. "It's been a while."  
"Diana!" Hippolyta replied to her daughter. "Why are you here? The world of Man needs you-"  
"I know, mother, but you would've been killed!" Diana replied. "As the Princess of Themyscira, it is my duty to protect you, not just the world of Man." Hippolyta merely smiled, proud of her daughter, holding her sword at the ready as well. The Female Furies, behind them the Parademon army, all charged at Diana, the Wonder Woman, and her mother, the Queen of the Amazons.  
"Now, Arthur!" Diana called out. Suddenly, the waters surrounding the coastline rose over the hills of Themyscira. A man, wearing scaled orange upper body armour with green lower body armour, with long blonde hair, holding a golden trident, blasted out of the water. His body covered the sunlight as he did so, and with ruthless power, he threw his trident like a javelin. The trident pierced through Stompa, the largest Fury, making the large woman howl in pain. Subsequently, the man called by Wonder Woman as Arthur landed on top of the woman; as he did so, the water engulfed the Parademon army within the immediate vicinity of the coastline. The orange-armoured man raises his hand into the sky and immediately, lightning struck the trident, electrocuting the helpless Stompa.

"For Atlantis!" the man declared. Soldiers in unknown blue armour rose out of the coastline, killing most of the Parademons.

"You brought Atlanteans to our coast?" Hippolyta asked Diana, her voice laced with concern.

"Arthur and I have worked together the past few months to fight crime across the world; he is their current king and is more tolerant towards the people of Earth and known as Aquaman. Before we came to Themyscira, his kingdom was also attacked, which I helped quell as well," Wonder Woman replied. The Furies were now furious, as Gilotina charged at Arthur with lethal intent. Wonder Woman jumped in, simultaneously fighting Lashina and Mad Harriet. Metal clashed with metal as every swing that Gilotina directed towards Aquaman was blocked by the king's trident.

"Go, mother!" Wonder Woman told Hippolyta, her shield protecting her from Mad Harriet's crazed claw slashes.

"I will not abandon you-"

"Steppenwolf was in Atlantis," Wonder Woman replied. "We held off the invasion but the Mother Box the Atlanteans possessed have been taken!"

"Hera…" Hippolyta lamented. "Keep them away from us for as long as you can, Diana!" She mounted her horse and rode off, pursuing the Amazons with the Mother Box.

Wonder Woman finally went on the offensive, slamming her shield into Mad Harriet's chest, while simultaneously dodging Lashina's whips. Mad Harriet was knocked back, however she recovered, doing a backflip. Lashina's whips began to strike the Amazon's shield, and with the third crack in the air, Wonder Woman swung her sword towards the whip's sharpened, metallic end, deflecting it. Meanwhile, Gilotina was locked in a stalemate with Aquaman, her swings immediately countered by Aquaman's trident. She jumped into the air, her swords positioned over her head and she swung it down towards Aquaman's shoulders, and Aquaman, using the long handle of his trident, held it upwards while staring at her, blocking it, pushing into Gilotina as she pushed back.

"You are an adept fighter, Apokoliptan," Aquaman commented. Using his super strength, he pushed her back, slamming the bottom end of his trident into Gilotina's left cheek, sending her reeling to the right side. Before she could react, Aquaman's trident pierced through her abdomen, making the Fury cough out blood.

"You… Impossible… We're the Furies…" Gilotina claimed.

"You and your kind will pay for the damage you've done to my kingdom," Aquaman replied, pushing the trident deeper into Gilotina, puncturing her vital organs as the trident pierced out of her back. Sliding it out of her abdomen, Gilotina fell to the ground, with Aquaman looking forth at her writhing body.

"Until the day we fight again, Fury," Aquaman remarked. "I heard you people heal fast."

Wonder Woman had the two Furies locked in a stalemate. Mad Harriet pounced towards the Amazon Princess with relentless speed, cackling as she did so; she was immediately countered, with Wonder Woman slamming her shield into her chest upwards, sending her into the air. Simultaneously, she deflected Lashina's whip and at the same time, the Princess of Themyscira sent a front kick onto Mad Harriet's back, knocking her back a few metres.  
"You're both impressive," Wonder Woman declared. Lashina swung her whip again, the cracks in the air continuous and sharp, however none touched the Amazon. Mad Harriet pounced at her once again, however she anticipated so and threw her shield, the edges of her circular protector slamming straight into Mad Harriet's forehead, stopping her advance and slamming into the ground. Equipping her lasso, she unfurled it, catching the whip with her lasso in mid-flight. In fluid movements, she wrapped the whip around her leg, pulling Lashina in, falling onto the ground. Lashina, trying to stand, was then kicked by Wonder Woman in the face, making her fall unconscious. Suddenly, Mad Harriet pounced on Wonder Woman from behind, both slamming onto the ground. They wrestled on the ground, Diana holding both of the Fury's arms, preventing her from slashing Wonder Woman's face. However, what Mad Harriet's agility she had, she lacked for in strength; while Diana was pinned to the ground by the Apokoliptan maniac, she pushed her legs into Mad Harriet, kicking her upwards.

"Aquaman, go!" Wonder Woman said. With sudden reactions, Aquaman speared into Mad Harriet. In mid-air, he performed a corkscrew, slamming her into the ground and landing on his feet. The Fury immediately recovered, doing a somersault and landing on the ground. However, Aquaman gave her no time to recover, slamming the bottom of his trident into her left temple, disorienting Mad Harriet. Trying to swing at Aquaman with her claws with no avail, Aquaman swung the trident at her chest, the trident slashing her armour and drawing blood, then proceeding to kick her in the abdomen, making her fall to the ground, unconscious.

"You're being too kind to these people, Diana," Aquaman declared. "They deserve no mercy for what they did to my kingdom."

"All beings deserve compassion, Arthur," Wonder Woman replied. "As a king, you should know this much."

"King?" a voice boomed in the landscape. Wonder Woman and Aquaman turned to see a hulking being, with a horned helmet and black Apokoliptan armour. On his left hand, the Mother Box. On his right hand, the Queen of the Amazons, held by the neck, struggling to release herself.

"Mother!" Wonder Woman cried.

"There is only one true king! There is only Darkseid!" Steppenwolf threw the queen on the ground and a Boom Tube opened, walking into the portal. Wonder Woman ran towards her mother, helping her up. A voice entered her head, alien but calm, however also urgent.

"I am J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter! If you are hearing my voice, we need your help! Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern and I are currently fighting in Gotham City, the epicentre of the Apokoliptan invasion. We need help, and we need help immediately! Please answer the call!" the voice alerted. Wonder Woman looked to Hippolyta, and glanced to Aquaman. He looked back, nodding.

"Mother-"

"I know, I heard him too," Hippolyta replied. "You and the Atlantean king must go, those people in the world of Man are fighting valiantly and they need you two now more than ever." Wonder Woman nodded. Aquaman dove into the oceans, travelling at supersonic speeds through the water towards Gotham, while Wonder Woman flew above him, heading towards Gotham with urgency.

* * *

 **Gotham City, The Heart of the Invasion**

While the Apokoliptan invasion was occurring across the planet, heroes have stepped up to fan the flames. In Star City, a man in a green hood wielding a bow is fighting numerous Parademon hordes, accompanied by a woman with an ear-piercing scream, a man with the ability to change substances into different ones at a whim with fire for hair and a man with the ability to shrink and grow. Heroes of the past have also begun to once again show their faces, as old names such as Wildcat, Commander Steel, Stargirl, the Sandman and the old Green Lantern and Flash have come out of the shadows and into the light. In Coast City, the united effort of the Green Lanterns of Earth fought back the one known as Kalibak, while in Central City, accompanied by a man with the ability to stretch his body extensively and an android who can generate gale force winds and tornadoes, the other Flash and Kid Flash fought back. Other heroes have also been spotted: two hawk-like heroes, a group of teenagers consisting of the Gotham's Boy Wonder, a cyborg, a woman shrouded in a purple cloak, and a woman with orange skin and green eyes, and finally a man with the ability to call lightning down from the skies with the strength of ten men, uttering the word: Shazam. However, despite the invasion being stopped by most heroes across the world, Gotham City was a different story.

A red blur zoomed through the streets, helping citizens to safety; The Flash, the fastest man alive, had finally finished evacuating the area. In the skies, Superman freezes a horde of Parademons with his breath, sending them freefalling to the ground and smashing into pieces on impact. Green Lantern, creating a battle-suit construct, while also creating constructs of sledgehammers, fighter jets and buses, sent everything towards the Parademons, taking out many at a time. Martian Manhunter shapeshifted into an alien creature, flying into the minions of Darkseid at high speeds. Batman was in his Batplane, firing through the Parademons with lethal accuracy.

"Hey guys!" The Flash exclaimed. "I've evacuated most of the citizens. You can cut loose!"

"Thanks, Flash," Superman replied. "You heard him, let's fight these monsters! No more holding back!"  
The Man of Steel's eyes glowed a deep crimson red, releasing searing heat vision onto the Parademons, turning them into ash. Green Lantern managed to push through the back lines of the Parademons, creating two hand constructs the size of skyscrapers and clapping them together. While the five finally gained the upper hand, a boom tube suddenly opened, with an axe flying out of it and into Green Lantern's back. He howled in pain as Steppenwolf jumped out of the portal and pulled the axe out of the Emerald Ringbearer's back. Superman immediately recognised the threat that had just appeared and flew into the Apokoliptan commander at high speeds, slamming him into a building. Batman hovered over the scene with his Batplane, however Superman was suddenly sent flying out and Steppenwolf followed, the rounds fired from the Batplane's machine gun not enough to stop his advance as he sliced clean through the middle of the plane. However, Batman had ejected in time, gliding out of the way. At the same time, Martian Manhunter fired beams from his eyes, slamming into Steppenwolf and sending him careening onto the ground. As soon as he slammed onto the ground, Green Lantern created a sledgehammer construct and repeated smashed the ground on which Steppenwolf landed, and with the fifth slam, Steppenwolf held the construct with his right hand, pushing it out of the way and jumping up, slamming into Green Lantern's chest, sending him flying. The Flash saw him and ran after his disoriented ally.

"You insects continue to struggle!" Steppenwolf growled with malice. The Mother Boxes that he obtained appeared out of smaller Boom Tubes, and they began to combine.

"Now, I summon forth, Lord Darkseid!" he declared. At the same time, the battlefield began to terraform. Holes in the ground opened and exposed the mantle below and fire pits began to appear. Roots of unknown origin burst through the ground and through buildings. The sky turned blood red. Batman landed on the ground, while Martian Manhunter and Superman hovered over them. The Flash ran back with Green Lantern in tow.

"We need to stop the combination, now!" Batman commanded.

"You will not do such a thing, mortal," a voice boomed. A large boom tube opened behind Steppenwolf, and out came a grey-skinned god, a man twice the size of Steppenwolf with black armour covering his chest and groin. His eyes glowed a fiery red, with his hands behind his back, looking at the group assembled before them, especially Superman, with anger.

"Darkseid," Superman finally said.

"Kryptonian…" the dark god replied. "It is time for you to suffer for your actions." Wonder Woman landed alongside Flash, while Aquaman landed next to Batman.

"I hope we weren't too late," Wonder Woman commented.

"You're in time, the both of you," Martian Manhunter replied. "Thank you for answering the call."  
The seven stood in front of Steppenwolf and Darkseid defiantly, behind them being the world's fate.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yes I did get some inspiration from the JL Movie. I loved it, however I feel like they didn't cover enough, so why not create a story based on it and the origin story from the New 52, while adding the New Earth flair we all know and love? Martian Manhunter, I still miss you.**


	4. A Losing Battle

**Previously: Wonder Woman and Aquaman have thwarted the Parademon advance on Themyscira, while also simultaneously defeating the Female Furies. They have joined Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Martian Manhunter, in time to witness Darkseid's return to Earth, alongside his commander, Steppenwolf.**

* * *

 **Gotham City, Terraformed Battlefield**

Darkseid kept his red eyes glued on to the Kryptonian hovering over him. He had an amused expression at the idea that the seven heroes in front of him could thwart his invasion. The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Batman and Aquaman were at the ready. Boom tubes opened all around them, and spewed forth more hordes of Parademons.

"We're going to need to take care of that," said Batman, observing the situation.

"I'll get on to it," The Flash replied, zooming off into the distance. Aquaman nodded. Suddenly, Steppenwolf lunged forward, swinging his axe at Green Lantern's direction. Green Lantern formed a shield over his entire body, blocking him from the axe, and Wonder Woman flew at the New God straightaway, slamming into his chest. Green Lantern flew with Flash, keeping the perimeter up.

"This is for Themyscira!" Wonder Woman declared. The New God grabbed her by the arm, slamming her onto the ground with ruthless force.

"You will not be enough to stop me, Amazon," Steppenwolf replied with annoyance. A trident then pierced through the Apokoliptan commander's shoulder, making him grunt in pain. Aquaman grabbed his trident and somersaulted, landing on the ground behind him and thrusting it into Steppenwolf's left leg, forcing him to kneel. Wonder Woman recovered and swung her sword at Steppenwolf's head, which Steppenwolf grabbed with his left hand, throwing her to the side, colliding into a building. He then swung his axe at Aquaman, which Aquaman dodged by doing a backflip. Steppenwolf grabbed the Atlantean King's trident, throwing it to the side.

"Fools!" Steppenwolf boomed with anger. "After I finish you two, I will ravage your kingdoms!" He ran at Aquaman, and Aquaman did the same, running towards Steppenwolf.

Darkseid was locked in battle with Superman and Martian Manhunter, however, it seemed like the Lord of Apokolips was winning. He sent a punch into Martian Manhunter's abdomen, sending him flying into three buildings, while his left hand was wrapped around Superman's head, his eyes glowing crimson red with calm rage.

"You interfere again with my plans, Kryptonian," Darkseid said, slamming him into the ground, creating a crater in the shape of the Man of Steel's body.

"I will ensure that you die, slowly and painfully."

Superman recovered quickly and flew upwards, sending an uppercut into Darkseid's chin. Darkseid barely flinched, and backhanded him with his right hand, sending him flying into four buildings.

"Enough!" Darkseid's eyes begin to glow red, overflowing with power. "The Omega Sanction, the death that is life, will see that you suffer!" His eyes released two orange-coloured beams which zigzagged, towards Flash and Superman. The Flash became aware and ran at high speeds, trying to outrun the Omega Beams. Superman did the same, flying away from the pursuing beams. Green Lantern was in the process of defeating several Parademons, his ring forming sledgehammer constructs, slamming into many Parademons at once, while also witnessing Flash sprinting away from an orange beam, and then seeing that Darkseid's eyes were the beam's origin.

"Flash is occupied, Batman, we need to take out that thing's eyes," Green Lantern commented, creating a fighter jet construct and slamming it into a horde of Parademons, exploding on impact. Batman was also occupied with the Parademons facing him directly below the Emerald Knight, throwing three exploding Batarangs which blew up several Parademons mid-glide.

"I can disable Darkseid's beams with a telepathic attack," Martian Manhunter telepathically communicated to Green Lantern. Martian Manhunter then sent a psionic attack towards Darkseid while hovering over him, fighting him telepathically.

"You attempt to disrupt my Omega Beams, Martian," Darkseid said with annoyance in his voice. Suddenly, the Last Son of Mars screamed in pain, his mind being shattered apart by Darkseid's dark influence as he fell to the ground clutching his head.

"See, that your telepathy is useless towards a god."

Superman had flown out of the Earth's atmosphere, the Omega Beam still pursuing him. Superman used his own heat vision to hinder the beam's advance, pushing back towards the lethal beam. Right next to space debris, he then took the split second to fly out of the way, the beam hitting the debris and exploding it. Superman's eyes glowed crimson red as he flew back into Earth at phenomenal speeds. Fire covered his body as he entered the Earth's atmosphere and a sonic boom shattered the sky as he flew even faster. Darkseid realised the raging Kryptonian too late and Superman flew into his abdomen, sending them flying into three buildings. He then grabbed Darkseid by his right arm and spun, hammer throwing him into the ground. The pent-up energy within his eyes was then released, his heat vision releasing wafts of smoke as the beams expanded, slamming into the New God relentlessly. However, Darkseid had recovered, and he blocked the heat vision with his right hand, resisting the Kryptonian's attack, while the weight of his body and the heat vision dug his feet into the asphalt.

"You… Dare?!" Darkseid growled, jumping up from the ground on which he stood, dodging the heat vision completely and then clasping his hands together. As he descended quickly to the ground, he swung his clasped hands on Superman simultaneously, hitting Superman with enough force that a sonic boom was released, shattering glass on the buildings around him. Superman slammed on the ground with a resounding thud. After a moment he tried to stand, however, Darkseid kicked him in the chin, making the Man of Steel bleed from his mouth. The New God then grabbed Superman's face again, slamming him into the ground on his back, and repeatedly stepped on him, first on his chest, making Superman cough out more blood and grunt in pain, then his face several times. Martian Manhunter flew towards Darkseid, releasing beams from his eyes which slammed into Darkseid's chest, knocking him backwards slightly, followed by three punches in succession, one on Darkseid's left cheek, the other on his right, and the last on his chin. However, Darkseid was only sent reeling, and he backhanded him to the side like a fly. Superman, trying to stand, was then grabbed by Darkseid by the neck. Superman was too weak to struggle, and Batman, hiding from the New God's influence, witnessed a Boom Tube open, and Darkseid walk into the boom tube holding Superman's unconscious body. As he walked, Darkseid began to speak, his booming voice being heard across the battlefield.

"Steppenwolf, take care of these insolent beings; I will return," Darkseid stated. Steppenwolf laughed, his axe glowing red with heat while locked in a fight with Aquaman and Wonder Woman, with Green Lantern beginning to join in.

"J'onn," Batman called out. Martian Manhunter flew in front of him.

"Superman's been taken, The Flash is nowhere to be found, and Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are currently fighting Steppenwolf," Martian Manhunter observed.

"We **need** Superman if we're going to fight Darkseid on equal grounds," Batman replied. "You need to get me into the Boom Tubes undetected." Batman removed his cape, however kept his cowl on along with his Bat-suit, pointing at an open boom tube which had Parademons carrying humans in. Martian Manhunter shapeshifted into a Parademon, grabbing the Dark Knight by the arms and then flying into the Boom Tube unsuspectedly as Batman pretended to be unconscious.

The Flash, meanwhile, was still being chased by the Omega Beam, traversing on water. He suddenly had an idea.

 _Here goes nothing_ , The Flash thought as he suddenly disappeared out of the beam's view, and the beam continued to travel. The Flash looked on at Gotham Harbour as the beam travelled away from him and exploded an empty boat nearby. He sprinted back to the battlefield, lightning crackling off his suit and becoming a red blur to any civilian onlookers.

 _I hope I didn't travel too far forward_ , The Flash thought. He then stopped in front of Steppenwolf, laughing menacingly, and immediately his hope became despair. The Apokoliptan commander's hand was grabbing Green Lantern's neck, the latter beginning to lose consciousness, while his right foot on Aquaman's chest and the trident embedded on his right shoulder, pinning him to the ground, and Wonder Woman unconscious, with a gash on the right side of her waist, gushing out blood.

 _No! I'm too late!_ The Scarlet Speedster thought as he saw the scene before him, horrified.

* * *

 **Apokolips**

The depths of Apokolips housed the laboratories, where people who opposed Darkseid, or disobeyed him, were subjected to torturous experiments. Screams of pain rang out across the depths, however none were heard by the inhabitants above. Superman was chained to a stone table in one room, purple roots inserting itself into every part of his body, causing him excruciating pain. A small, hooded man observed Superman's reaction to the roots enveloping and probing the Kryptonian as he struggled to release himself from his predicament, looking at him with maniacal glee as he howled in even greater pain.

"Hail Darkseid." The hooded man whispered.

Meanwhile, above the fiery pits of Apocalypse, Batman landed on the ground, with Martian Manhunter in Parademon form in tow. Martian Manhunter shapeshifted back to his normal form, standing alongside the Dark Knight, overlooking the Apokoliptan landscape at large.

"What do we do now?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"We find him, and we save him," Batman replied.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

 **Author's Note: The next chapter will delve further into the conflict on Earth, while the chapter after will feature Batman and Martian Manhunter in their rescue mission to save Superman. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Please leave a review and follow for more chapters!**


	5. Fighting Back

**Previously:** The Heroes faced Darkseid and Steppenwolf. Darkseid overpowered both Martian Manhunter and Superman, capturing Superman for himself and taking him to Apokolips, while Martian Manhunter and Batman followed him to rescue the Man of Steel. The Flash ran forward in time to avoid the Omega Effect, however, in doing so, he ran too far, coming back to a seemingly defeated Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman by the hands of Steppenwolf.

* * *

 **Gotham City, Epicentre of the Invasion**

 _No, I ran too far!_ thought The Flash, looking at the horrific scene that he ran into.

"Weak, all of you! Nothing but weaklings, nothing to me!" Steppenwolf shouted in victory. Wonder Woman struggled to stand, holding her sword loosely, and her shield. The Flash ran next to her, helping her stand.

"You shouldn't be standing," Flash said to the Amazon. "You've lost too much blood."

"I'm not going to lay down and watch you all die to him; we're going to this together," Wonder Woman replied.

"How… How long was I gone?" The Flash asked.

"Too long..." Wonder Woman said weakly, before doubling over and coughing out blood. Her gash was opening due to her struggle. "This will heal, Flash, do not worry."

"Damn it…" The Flash said sadly. Suddenly, Green Lantern, held at the neck by Steppenwolf, began to create a cannon construct with his Power Ring, pointing it straight at the New God.

"Beware my power… Asshole…" The Emerald Officer replied, the cannon sending a round straight into the New God's face. The New God was then knocked back, his foot coming off Aquaman's chest and his hand releasing Green Lantern, freeing them both. Wonder Woman stood up, holding her gash, while The Flash regrouped with Green Lantern. Aquaman, meanwhile, dislodged the trident from his shoulder, making him grunt in slight pain. They all stood together, while the New God roared in anger.

"Fools! You cannot stand against Steppenwolf, Conqueror of Worlds!" Steppenwolf roared, clutching hard on his axe.

"Anyone have a plan?" Green Lantern asked.

"We fight, and we stall," Wonder Woman replied. "Until Superman, Batman and Martian Manhunter come back."

"No offense, Wonder Woman, but we just got our asses handed to us by this guy," Green Lantern iterated. "We've tried that, and we failed."

"No," Aquaman countered. "We fought individually. We do this now, as a team."

"Agreed," Flash followed. "We also need to do something about that." He pointed at the merging mother boxes.

"I can probably separate it with my ring," Green Lantern suggested. "It may take a little bit of time though."

"We need you in the front lines, Green Lantern," Wonder Woman countered. "Besides, we don't know the energy that you could release if something goes wrong."

"I may be able to separate them," The Flash said. They all turned to him, confused. "My connection with the Speed Force may be enough for me to vibrate with the same frequency as the energy the Mother Boxes are emitting. I can counteract the waves using my speed. I'm going to need time.

"Time is what we can give you," Aquaman replied. "Just as long as you know what you're doing."

"Okay, on my mark," Wonder Woman said. Steppenwolf charged at the group, his axe glowing flaming red, symbolic of his released rage. Green Lantern's ring began to shine brighter than ever, while Aquaman held his trident with confidence. Wonder Woman was in fighting stance, shield in front of her, sword pointed at the enraged New God.

"Now!" Wonder Woman shouted. The Flash followed her order the split second the words came out of her mouth. He blasted past Steppenwolf, getting to the merging Mother Boxes. His hands began to vibrate with phenomenal speed, phasing his hands through the merging Mother Boxes and beginning to put his idea to use.

Green Lantern flew up into the sky, creating a construct of a sledgehammer and slamming it down onto Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf caught it with his axe, however Green Lantern kept it pinned down on the Apokoliptan commander as Aquaman and Wonder Woman made their move. Aquaman charged forward, throwing his trident at Steppenwolf's right knee, piercing through it.

"For Atlantis!" he shouted. Steppenwolf was forced to kneel as he growled in pain, the sledgehammer forcing him down even more. Wonder Woman flew towards Steppenwolf, slamming her shield into the New God's left kneecap with high strength, enough to knock Steppenwolf to the side, forcing the New God to become off balance, the sledgehammer on the top of him crushing him underneath. Green Lantern then raised his sledgehammer again, however as he did so, Steppenwolf immediately recovered, trident still stuck on his right kneecap, and barged into Green Lantern's abdomen, sending him flying into a building. The New God then blocked an overhead swing from a flying Wonder Woman, pushing her back with the handle of his axe and then punching her in the chest, cracking her armour slightly. She then slammed into the ground soon after. Steppenwolf jumped after her, grabbing his axe with both hands and prepared an overhead swing on top of the Amazon when he was suddenly knocked upward. Aquaman sent an uppercut into the New God's chin, which was immediately followed by Green Lantern slamming four missiles into Steppenwolf's stomach, exploding on impact and sending him flying back down.

The Flash had finally begun to enact the next stage of his plan. After phasing into the middle of the Mother Boxes, his hands started to vibrate at a different frequency, however as he began to vibrate, lightning began to strike out of the Scarlet Speedster, his Speed Force Energy clashing with the Mother Box energy emanating during their combination. Steppenwolf stood up and roared, noticing the yellow and red energy clashing.

"No! The terraforming must be complete!" Steppenwolf boomed. He charged at The Flash, slamming Aquaman and Wonder Woman out of the way as he made his way towards the Scarlet Speedster, jumping up with both hands grabbing the axe over his head, and then swinging it downwards. However, his axe instead hit a green shield. Green Lantern created a shield over The Flash and the separating Mother Boxes. The New God growled in annoyance, dislodging the axe from the shield and repeatedly swinging at the shield, the shield slowly cracking open as Green Lantern struggled to keep the shield intact.

"Wonder Woman, Aquaman, a little assistance would be nice!" Green Lantern told the two fighters. Wonder Woman flew in and blocked the axe with her sword, the two locked in a pushing match. Steppenwolf growled at Wonder Woman, stepping forward inch by inch as he began to overpower the Amazon.

"I will not let you hinder me from claiming this world for Darkseid!" Steppenwolf declared. Wonder Woman was pushed back as they stayed on top of the dome, while Aquaman, holding his trident, jumped over the two clashing powers, and, while roaring, he held the trident over his head and slamming the trident into Steppenwolf's back, the trident digging into the New God's back and making him howl in pain. Aquaman began to lodge his trident deeper into the Apokoliptan, with Steppenwolf grunting in even more pain and losing his strength. At the same time, Wonder Woman finally found an opening, shouting a war cry and lunging her sword into Steppenwolf's chest. The New God howled again in pain, letting go of his axe and grunting.

"No! I am a New God, I am Steppenwolf, Darkseid's lieutenant! I will not let you kill me!" Steppenwolf cried, coughing blood out of his mouth.

"Enough," Aquaman declared. "This is retribution for what you have done to our homes." Aquaman dislodged the trident out of Steppenwolf, jumping off him and landing on the ground.

"Themyscira, I have not failed you yet…" Wonder Woman commented, taking the sword out of Steppenwolf's chest. Steppenwolf's lifeless body fell off the shield they battled on, falling on the ground below. She hovered over the shield, as it finally disappeared. The Flash, having done most of the separation of the Mother Boxes, called out to the three victorious heroes.

"GL! Separate the Mother Boxes! Now!" The Flash shouted. Green Lantern created two hand constructs, separating the Mother Boxes, releasing a shockwave of red energy, sending all four of them flying and sending smoke flaring up.

The smoke finally cleared. The three Mother Boxes were separated, energy still emanating within them, on the ground. The Flash struggled to stand.

"Any of you okay?" The Flash asked.

"We are fine," Aquaman replied. The smoke finally cleared, and most of the terraformed battlefield has reverted to normal. Aquaman walked out of the smoke with Green Lantern and Wonder Woman hovering over him in tow. The Flash ran towards them, stopping in front of them.

"So, what do we do now?" The Flash asked.

"We take care of that," Wonder Woman declared, pointing at the opened Boom Tube. Darkseid walked out of the Boom Tube, his eyes glowing crimson red with anger. Green Lantern began to glow brighter, his aura turning a light green, shining through the red skies. The Flash's eyes began to channel lightning, the Speed Force coursing through his veins. Aquaman slammed his trident on the ground, while Wonder Woman twirled her sword, going into a fighting stance. Darkseid looked at his dead commander, then back at the four defiant heroes. His stoic expression became anger; however his voice was still calm.

"You have done enough, insects," Darkseid's voice boomed. "Now, you will all fall, by the hands of Darkseid!"

"How are we going to do this without Martian Manhunter or Superman?" Green Lantern asked.

"They'll be back," The Flash replied. "Right now, we just need to distract him until they do."

"Fight to the end, and fight until you can no longer fight!" Wonder Woman shouted. The Mother Boxes were summoned by Darkseid with a wave of his hand, the Boxes floating around him and forcibly combining into one. The landscape became terraformed again, however the process was even faster still. The four heroes remained defiant, now knowing how to fight together.

"Your efforts will be for naught, now die," Darkseid declared, facing the four heroes.

* * *

 **Next:** Martian Manhunter and Batman make their move to save Superman! Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Aquaman face off against the Embodiment of Darkness himself, Darkseid!


	6. Reunification of the Seven

**Previously:** The heroes left on Earth: The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, defeated Steppenwolf and restored the terraformed Gotham to normal; however, Darkseid had arrived and restarted the process instantly.

* * *

 **Apokolips, Unknown Location**

 **Superman POV:**

So. Much. Pain.

The roots dug themselves deep into every part of my body, and every time I try to resist, electrical pulses would ravage my nervous system, rendering me paralysed, but not enough so that I fall unconscious. This was torture. My strength was failing me, and my heat vision isn't working either. Damn you Darkseid!

"You must be wondering why you can't use your powers…" a voice said with sinister malevolence. "Red sun radiation! I have been tracking your adventures, Kryptonian, since you thwarted our Lord's baptising of your Earth. It is only fitting that I turn you into a weapon which will destroy your own adopted world…"

"Who's… There…" I asked, struggling to find the words as the roots within my body began to multiply, taking over my mind and my body.

"Of course, we haven't been properly introduced," a hooded man walked out of the shadows, looking at me.

"My name is Desaad," he said. "And you are my new laboratory experiment!"

 **Apokolips, Armaghetto District**

Batman and Martian Manhunter looked at the horizon over the Apokoliptan district, analysing the landscape. The skies were red from the fire pits that dotted the planet, while Parademons flew overhead, however they did not notice the Dark Knight and the Martian, with one lurking in the shadows and the other invisible to the naked eye, respectively. After the Parademon swarm finally passed, the two showed themselves, looking at the people below them.

"All these people," Martian Manhunter said sadly. "They have no voices, no thoughts. What has this planet done to them?!"

"This will be the fate of our planet if we don't find Superman," Batman replied. "We need to find him. Can you track him with your telepathy?"

"Of course," Martian Manhunter replied. The Last Son of Mars' red eyes glowed a bright red as he began to sift through the thoughts around him in Apokolips. He heard the pleas for help and the screams of humans, and then finally, he narrowed into Superman's thoughts.

"Superman," Martian Manhunter called out to him telepathically. "It's me, J'onn, can you hear me?"

"J'onn… You need to come now… I can't use my powers, they're turning me into a weapon… Please…" Superman communicated to him weakly. Martian Manhunter created a telepathic tether to him and looked at Batman.

"He is weak, but he is fighting," Martian Manhunter stated. "But if we do not get to him soon, his mind will be taken over."

"Then we need to move. Now." Batman said with urgency.

"I created a telepathic tether to him; as of now, I am fighting with Superman telepathically as we speak, we can track his thoughts."

Martian Manhunter grabbed Batman and immediately they became intangible, phasing through the building they were standing on and into the ground. Martian Manhunter and Batman landed in a dimly lit metallic tunnel, with echoes of screams throughout the area.

"This is where they are," Martian Manhunter stated. Batman stood in front of him and began to walk, with Martian Manhunter in tow.

"For a human, you are surprisingly better than I thought," Martian Manhunter said. Batman merely grunted.

"I had my reservations, but I thought you were something other than an alien," Batman replied as they walked through the dimly lit tunnels, their voices low enough so that it didn't echo in the empty tunnels.

"I am the last of the Green Martians from Mars," Martian Manhunter stated. "They were all murdered by the White Martians that attacked us. I was summoned by a human, through a teleporter many years ago."

Batman stayed silent, crouching and walking towards a corner that had a left turn. He waited, and heard Parademon screeching around the corner.

"Wait," Batman stated. "There's Parademons coming this way."

"I can take care of them," Martian Manhunter replied. He phased through the ground and out of the ground next to the two Parademons. He grabbed their heads and slammed them together, rendering them unconscious.

"The coast is clear," Martian Manhunter telepathically communicated to Batman. "I can feel my connection to Superman's mind get stronger; he is this way."

Superman began to resist the roots in his mind and his body; and this time, he was beginning to win. Desaad intensified the electrical signals within the roots, making him scream in excruciating pain.

"There is no one here that can save you, Kryptonian," Desaad cackled in maniacal glee. "No one will ever hear you scream!"

"Too bad no one will hear you scream, either."

Desaad turned to see a bat-like figure towering over him, his black cape and cowl blending with the darkness. The bat-like figure grabbed him by the cuff of his neck and raised him to his height.

"Now, how do I get Superman out of this device?" the bat-like figure asked menacingly.

"You will not get anything out of me, creature!" Desaad replied with arrogant defiance. "Besides, the process is complete; he is now a weapon of Apokolips!"

"What are you-" Batman was then slammed into the wall nearby. He stared back at two eyes glowing crimson red. Batman felt a searing pain on his back and felt his throat begin to close as Superman's hand began to crush his neck. He struggled to loosen his grip.

"J'onn… If you're going to do something, do it now…" Batman stated. A green figure then slammed into the Man of Steel, sending him flying into three walls. The figure, who is Martian Manhunter flew after him. Batman looked for Desaad, who had fled the scene. He began to run after the two fighting aliens.

Martian Manhunter hovered over the Superman on the floor, hesitating to throw another punch before knowing that he could get through to him by speaking to him.

"Superman, this is not you! You are not Darkseid's weapon!" Martian Manhunter called out to him. Superman did not say anything and within moments, Martian Manhunter burst out of the ground in the Armaghetto District. A red blur followed suit and threw a punch which collided with the Martian's chest, sending him flying. Martian Manhunter immediately recovered and flew back at Superman, matching his every hit, creating sonic booms on impact which could be heard across the Apokoliptan district. Each blow by the Kryptonian was matched by the Martian, as they were locked in a stalemate. Martian Manhunter then avoided a punch to his face by phasing, and then he sent a psionic attack into Superman, sending the Kryptonian reeling in pain.

"You must fight it, Superman! We need your power to stop Darkseid! Remember who you are!" Martian Manhunter shouted as Superman remained hovering, clutching his head. However, it was immediately all for naught as Superman flew at him and threw a devastating punch into Martian Manhunter's abdomen. The Martian's ability to make his body elastic saved him, however as the force was absorbed. However, Superman was blindingly fast; so fast, in fact, that immediately after the punch to Martian Manhunter's abdomen, the Man of Steel slammed his elbow into the Martian's right cheek, sending the latter freefalling towards the ground at high speed, slamming into the street with enough force that debris flared upwards. Superman landed on the ground in front of where the Martian fell, waiting for another chance to attack.

"No more holding back," Martian Manhunter said as the debris dust cleared. He flew towards Superman, who's eyes flared red as they released his heat vision; however, Martian Manhunter phased through the beam and through Superman, and before Superman could counterattack, he threw a punch which connected with Superman's left cheek, sending the Kryptonian flying. The Martian became relentless, pursuing the Kryptonian and grabbing Superman's cape, hammer throwing him into the ground and then pinning him onto the ground. Superman's eyes lit up crimson red again, about to fire heat vision into Martian Manhunter's head. However, Martian Manhunter's red eyes glowed red as well, and his consciousness transferred into Superman's mind, using his telepathy to destroy the mind control embedded within the Kryptonian. Superman's eyes turned bright yellow and he began to scream in pain as Martian Manhunter's psionic attack systematically eliminated the mind control roots in Superman's head, his body creating roots which stuck into the Kryptonian's body. Batman finally caught up to the two fighting aliens, seeing Superman in agonising pain and the Martian Manhunter concentrating on his attack.

After a few minutes, the Martian Manhunter stood over Superman, who was unconscious. Batman approached the Martian, looking at Superman's unconscious body.

"You better not have overdone it," Batman stated to the Martian.

"He has a strong mind," Martian Manhunter commented. "I didn't have to hold back to take out the control roots in his mind that Desaad planted."

Superman began to move and sat up on where he was just cured. He massaged his head with his left hand and looked at the two heroes who were currently wary of his condition after the previous battle.

"I didn't cause too much damage, did I?" the Man of Steel asked, fully aware of the control he was under. Batman walked up to his slightly disoriented ally and held out his hand, which Superman took to help himself stand.

"Not a lot," Batman replied. "But we need to get out of here; the others may be fighting Darkseid right now and they won't hold out for very long."

"Of course, but first things first," Superman said. "Thank you, J'onn, for your help in getting me out of Desaad's control."

"We needed you and now we have you," Martian Manhunter replied. "Now we must help the others."

"There's a boom tube that's currently open nearby," Superman said. "I can hear its portal from here, we need to hurry."

 **Gotham City, The Battlefield in the Bowery**

The red skies began to rain fire. Parademons swarmed the skies, blotting out the moonlight, and the holes in the ground which exposed Earth's mantle flared fire upwards into the sky, creating a picture of Hell on Earth. On the streets of an all but ravaged Bowery, the sound of lightning, battle cries, metal clashing with metal and explosions ringed outwards out of the area, followed by the swarming screeches of Parademons. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and The Flash were locked in battle against the God of Evil incarnate, Darkseid, who barely flinched at everything that was thrown at him.

"Guys, we're barely even leaving a dent on him," The Flash said, noticing that Darkseid has done nothing but stand, not even attacking.

"I don't care," Green Lantern said, creating a boxing glove construct. "I'm taking him down." He swung the boxing glove construct at Darkseid, and Darkseid merely raised his arm in the boxing glove's direction, shattering the construct. Darkseid looked at the Ringbearer with annoyance.

"Flea," Darkseid's eyes glowed crimson red, ready to release the Omega Sanction.

"Made you look," Green Lantern replied. Suddenly, Darkseid was pulled towards the ground from behind, courtesy of Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth roped around his neck, however, he did not lose balance, using his strength and locking the two in a tug-of-war. At the same time, Aquaman, holding the trident with both hands over his right shoulder, jumped up and jammed his trident into Darkseid's right eye; at the same time, Green Lantern created a sledgehammer construct which he slammed into Darkseid's chest. This knocked the New God back, while he was slightly reeled from Aquaman stabbing the trident into his eye. However, Darkseid immediately recovered, grabbing the Atlantean king and slamming him onto the ground, the latter still wielding his trident. The New God, in mere moments, grabbed the lasso that Wonder Woman was using to pull him down and pulled her towards him, throwing a punch which hit the Amazon in the abdomen, sending her flying into a building.

"You will all fall before me!" Darkseid shouted at the falling heroes. The Flash zoomed around the New God, hitting him with the makeshift hammer, however, Darkseid predicted the Scarlet Speedster's movement within seconds, tripping the Flash over and making him skid and slam across the asphalt road, unconscious. Green Lantern looked at the Flash, his eyes glowing bright green with anger and his ring glowed even brighter.

"Flash!" Green Lantern shouted. He flew straight at Darkseid, firing numerous missiles which Darkseid merely absorbed.

"Flea, I will end your insignificant life!" Darkseid shouted. He held his hands out to his sides and slammed them together, creating a sonic boom with a thunderclap that sent Green Lantern flying and slamming onto the ground. He removed the lasso off him, realising what he had said. He became calm, looking forth at the four unconscious heroes. Green Lantern struggled to stand along with Flash, who had cuts all over his body. Aquaman had a gash across his left cheek and he was disoriented as well, struggling to stand. Wonder Woman flew out of the building, holding her reopened wound. Darkseid looked at the four injured heroes, his eyes glowing a bright red colour, beginning to release the Omega Sanction.

"The death that is life," Darkseid declared. "See that your futile resistance ends here, mortals." As he was about to release the Omega Beams, a red and blue blur slammed into Darkseid's side, sending him flying. At the same time, a green blur met the flying New God halfway, slamming into his torso. Darkseid recovered almost immediately, hovering, his crimson red eyes glowing more fiercely than before.

"Kryptonian…" Darkseid growled with anger, looking at the hovering Man of Steel above him, the Kryptonian's eyes glowing an even brighter crimson red. "You escaped… If you will not become my weapon, you will burn to ash."

"He's not alone this time, Darkseid, your invasion ends here," Martian Manhunter declared, hovering alongside Superman.

A dark figure glided over Flash and Green Lantern, landing on the ground in front of them. Flash ran to his side, looking at the dark figure, who was Batman.

"What took you so long?" Flash asked Batman.

"We were a little busy," Batman replied.

"At least we have Superman here with us," Wonder Woman said, landing on the ground next to Batman.

"Him and Martian Manhunter can't do it alone," Green Lantern commented.

"No, we will help him; but we need a plan," Aquaman said.

"I have one," Batman said. "And it might take out the Parademons in one swoop too."

Superman and Martian Manhunter flew at Darkseid at the same time, beginning the final battle, while the other five heroes followed in tow.

* * *

 **Next: The Final Battle!**


	7. The Final Battle, Part One

**Previously:** Batman and Martian Manhunter save Superman from mind control on Apokolips and reunite with the other four heroes.

* * *

The East End Bowery was close to decimated; most buildings were nothing but rubble, coupled with car wrecks courtesy of the fight which has lasted for hours without end. Deafening sonic booms rocked the area's landscape and random bouts of green light flared, the sound of lightning sliced the landscape which was preceded by a red and yellow blur which zoomed through the battle-ravaged streets and zigzagging past the fire pits created by the terraforming courtesy of the Mother Box unification, while simultaneously being chased by numerous swarms of Parademons. On one side of the Bowery, an alien wearing green and blue armour with a red-coloured cross across his torso and a man with a blue and red costume with an S on his chest was locked in battle with a god wearing black armour on his torso and grey skin with a rocky texture. Known as Martian Manhunter and Superman, their punches slammed into the grey-skinned god known as Darkseid with reckless abandon, with the New God fighting back.

Meanwhile, Green Lantern flew over the heroes fighting on the ground, creating missile constructs which collided into swarms of Parademons and exploding on impact. Wonder Woman and Aquaman were united in their advance, creating a beeline towards the Mother Box which terraformed the Bowery landscape, slicing into Parademons along the way. The Flash was rounding up Parademons chasing the Scarlet Speedster, while Batman in his Batmobile, an armoured car which was packed with weapons, was firing missiles and machine gun rounds into the pursuing Parademons from behind, taking many of them out. The Flash then sped past Wonder Woman and Aquaman who turned their attention to the pursuing Parademons.

"You've got incoming!" The Flash shouted as he zoomed past. Wonder Woman, within five seconds, sheathed her sword and put her shield on her back and unwound her lasso, throwing it and caught it around three Parademons. She then pulled tightly, squeezing them together, making the Parademons screech in pain. The Amazonian Princess then swung the makeshift weapon around like a hammer, slamming them into oncoming Parademons that were surrounding them, screaming out a war cry in the process. Aquaman, holding his trident with his right hand, charged at the incoming Parademons, throwing the trident like a javelin with lethal intent. The trident jammed into the leading Parademon's chest, and the resulting momentum sent the Parademon flying into the swarm behind.

"Lantern!" Aquaman boomed. "Take them out from the air!" The King of Atlantis jumped after the dead Parademon with the trident still jammed on its chest, grabbing the trident and taking it out of the Parademon's chest. He landed on the ground, with Parademons in a circle flying at him. Suddenly, green coloured machine gun bullets rained down from the sky, hitting the Parademons and felling them. Aquaman looked up at the sky and saw Green Lantern saluted at him, flying back up and creating a helicopter construct which fired missiles and machine guns at the Parademons; Aquaman merely smiled and lunged forward at another swarm of Parademons, holding his trident.

Superman flew at a high speed towards Darkseid with fists pointed straight towards the New God, slamming into him and carrying him; with Martian Manhunter pursuing them from behind.

"You've caused enough damage to this world, Darkseid!" Superman shouted, throwing punches as he flew, the two slamming into buildings as if they were cardboard. Darkseid recovered and grabbed both of Superman's fists as he threw them, planting his feet on the ground, digging into the asphalt road to support himself. He then headbutted the Kryptonian, disorienting him and knocking him back slightly. Darkseid immediately counterattacked, throwing an uppercut which connected with Superman's chin, and then followed with a fist to the stomach, making the Man of Steel double over in pain. The Apokoliptan tyrant then clasped his hands together, and swung them downward, slamming Superman onto the ground. Martian Manhunter finally caught up with the two godlike beings, throwing a punch with his right fist that connected with Darkseid's left cheek. Darkseid stumbled to the right and Martian Manhunter immediately followed with an uppercut that connected with the New God's chin. Superman followed suit, slamming his shoulder into Darkseid's chest, knocking Darkseid back. Darkseid immediately recovered, hovering above the ground facing Superman and Martian Manhunter.

"Impressive," Darkseid commented. "Your strength has increased since we last met, Kryptonian. I seem to have also underestimated your strength, Martian."

"Scared, Darkseid?" Superman said, smiling. Darkseid merely chuckled at Superman's remark.

"I am a god, and you are nothing," Darkseid replied. "Afraid? Not even close." Suddenly, Darkseid landed on the ground and jumped towards Superman. Superman and Martian Manhunter flew at the New God at the same time, throwing punches which Darkseid caught in midair.

"My true strength; let me enlighten you," Darkseid declared. With overwhelming speed for his size, Darkseid threw Martian Manhunter like a small rock, resulting in the Martian colliding into a building. As soon as Martian Manhunter left his hand, he threw a fist which slammed into Superman's face, sending the Kryptonian flying into the ground. Superman tried to stand up, however Darkseid's foot then slammed into his stomach, making him fall on his back. His costume was torn from all the punishment he took, and there was a bruise on his right cheek. Darkseid put his foot on the Kryptonian's chest, his eyes glowing crimson red. Martian Manhunter flew at the New God, and Darkseid immediately turned and fired his Omega Beams; however, Martian Manhunter immediately phased through the beams, still flying towards Darkseid. However, as Martian Manhunter finally materialized to throw a punch, Darkseid grabbed him by the head, and the Apokoliptan ruler slammed his fist into the Martian's stomach and then threw him onto the ground with enough force to create a crater with the Martian's body.

"J'onn!" Superman cried. He felt the force on his chest loosen and flew out of the New God's grip, and immediately threw a punch that connected with Darkseid's right cheek. Darkseid retaliated within seconds, throwing three consecutive punches which connected with Superman's stomach, chin and right cheek, the force sending the Kryptonian flying into the outer wall of a building. Darkseid hovered towards Superman, looking at the Kryptonian's body which was stuck on the outer wall. Superman looked back at Darkseid defiantly, his body too weak from all the punishment he took from the mental torture and later the beat down.

"Disappointing, Kryptonian…" Darkseid grabbed Superman by the neck, picking him up from the wall and staring at him with a stoic look on his face. "You would've been a valuable addition to my army; your valor and bravery would've served Apokolips well."

"I'll fight while I can still draw breath, Darkseid…" Superman remarked, however struggling to get the words out as Darkseid's grip on Superman's neck became tighter. His cape was ripped to shreds and his costume was torn due to the punishment he took. Darkseid slammed him back into the wall, and then raised him above his head.

"First, the oceans will boil," Darkseid said. He threw Superman down, and his back connected with Darkseid's knee, making the Kryptonian shout in complete pain, falling to the ground on his stomach. Darkseid looked at Superman, struggling to stand again.

"Then, the skies will rain fire." Darkseid kicked Superman in the stomach, forcing him on his back, coughing out blood. The New God then planted his foot on Superman's chest, attempting to crush it.

"The streets will run red with the blood of millions, and when I annihilate your beloved city; when I obliterate resistance, when I turn your planet into another Apokolips, I will carve out your heart and put it on a pike in my throne room."

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. The Final Battle, Part Two

**Previously:** Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Batman and Green Lantern are locked in battle against swarms of Parademons, while Superman and Martian Manhunter fought Darkseid. Darkseid revealed his true power and in doing so, defeated Martian Manhunter and left Superman at his mercy.

* * *

Superman struggled to remove Darkseid's foot off his chest, his strength failing him after all the punishment he has taken this entire night; from the mental torture he experienced and later fought away to the prolonged battle against Darkseid, he still wanted to win this fight, however he was not even close this time.

"You still continue to struggle, Superman?" Darkseid asked mockingly. He drove his foot further into Superman's chest, making Superman grunt in pain.

"You fail to listen to the words of Darkseid. Resistance is futile."

"I think I've had enough of you." Following the remark, bullets and missiles rained down from the sky towards the New God, hitting the New God with low to no effect. Green Lantern hovered over him, continuing to press the attack.

"The Lantern," Darkseid remarked. "I will make sure your light is extinguished. Then I will take the entire Emotional Spectrum for myself."

"I don't know whatever the hell you're talking about," Green Lantern replied. "But there's only one Lantern Corps, and that's the Green Lanterns."

"Do you truly believe your own Corps is the only one that exists?" Darkseid asked, smiling. "I ripped the last Green Lantern to shreds after giving him this information." The New God's eyes glowed a bright crimson red. "But you were not as proficient as him; unlike you, he didn't have fear in his eyes before he died. You are only worthy of the Omega Sanction."

"I'm not going to let up," Green Lantern said. "Do your worst!" The Emerald Knight's eyes glowed a bright green, as he formed a construct of a mech battle suit. The hands of the battle suit formed miniguns, firing numerous rounds towards the New God. Darkseid merely smiled and jumped towards Green Lantern, throwing a punch straight at the battle suit construct's chest that sent Green Lantern's construct flying with Darkseid in tow.

The Flash ran after Green Lantern and saw in the sky a green battle suit construct flying back where he ran from, followed by Darkseid which threw another punch and that sent the construct flying further. He looked forward and saw two bodies, one Superman who laid down on his back and another trying to stand, Martian Manhunter. Flash ran towards the Martian Manhunter and helped him stand.

"Easy, easy," Flash said, helping Martian Manhunter on his feet.

"Darkseid's been holding back the entire time," Martian Manhunter said despairingly. "Superman and I, we won't be enough."

"GL's giving us enough time to start Batman's plan," Flash replied. "Wonder Woman and Aquaman are there too, it's not over yet." Flash looked at Superman who laid down on the asphalt road, and saw Batman glide off a building and land on the ground, walking towards Superman and holding out his hand.

"You look like you've been through hell," Batman said. Superman grabbed Batman's hand, helping him stand.

"Where's Darkseid, I have to-" Superman doubled over, holding his left hand over his stomach and Batman helped him stay on his feet.

"You're not doing anything until you're rested," Batman said adamantly. "We need you at full strength and right now, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Lantern are giving us the distraction we need to make sure we stop the terraforming process in Gotham."

"How are we going to do that? I couldn't stop him with J'onn," Superman replied.

"If we can't defeat him at his full strength, we're going to use the United Mother Box to create a Boom Tube and send him back to Apokolips," Batman said. "We need to reconfigure the Mother Box by modifying the frequency at which the Mother Box is emanating. We can probably reverse the terraforming as well." Flash ran with Martian Manhunter in tow, feeling slightly more recovered than before.

"I don't think I can do it," Flash stated. "When I was trying to modify the frequency using my Speed Force energy, it drained my speed. I don't think I can do it without me disconnecting from the Speed Force completely."

"We can use Green Lantern's ring to provide the energy that it absorbs," Batman replied.

"The Mother Boxes are sentient," Martian Manhunter said. "I can feel them telepathically. Their ability to terraform the world is attributed to Darkseid's ability to manipulate minds of hosts. I can use my telepathy to aid them."

"We need to get back to the fight," Superman said, finally being able to stand on his own. "The world's in our hands now."

"We do this, we do this together," Flash replied.

Darkseid threw the mech construct towards the ground, slamming with the asphalt road and making debris flare upwards. When the debris dust cleared, Green Lantern was on the ground, clutching his stomach. Darkseid landed on the ground in front of him, the united Mother Box emanating on a building ruin behind him. Green Lantern created a construct of an RPG and fired it at the New God, hitting him in the chest. Darkseid barely flinched.

"Pitiful human," Darkseid said, walking towards him. "Did you really think that your power ring could take on a god?"

"W-worth a try… You glorified piece of walking rock," Green Lantern replied, firing more RPG rounds towards Darkseid, which Darkseid took as if it was just water being splashed on him, the New God walking towards Green Lantern.

"You are now worthy of being given a slow death," Darkseid said, standing over Green Lantern. "I will put your hand with your ring still attached in my throne room, along with your head on a pike."

"Not so fast, big guy!" The Flash was standing on the ruin where the Mother Box was. Darkseid turned around to see the Scarlet Speedster standing next to the device responsible for the terraforming of Gotham into a second a Apokolips. The Flash's arms began to vibrate, phasing through the Mother Box's outer body and began to vibrate at a frequency completely opposite to the Mother Box's frequency, attempting to separate them.

"You dare disrupt the inevitable?!" Darkseid asked, rage evident in his calm tone. Darkseid was about to jump towards the Flash when a glowing yellow rope caught itself around Darkseid's neck and pulled him back. Darkseid turned to see Wonder Woman pulling him back.

"You! You dare resist-"

"Hold him there, Wonder Woman!" a voice said. Followed by the voice, a red and blue blur slammed into Darkseid's chest, followed by devastatingly powerful punches to the New God's left and right cheek. The figure revealed itself to be Superman, now throwing punches at Darkseid with reckless abandon. Darkseid blocked one of Superman's punches by grabbing the Man of Steel's left fist, then headbutting him, sending Superman flying back a bit but ultimately recovering quickly. Martian Manhunter followed behind Superman, releasing heat vision from his eyes which Darkseid countered with his omega beams. Superman released heat vision of his own, the two aliens clashing with the God of Darkness.

"Green Lantern, before long, Flash will require the energy from your power ring to ensure he isn't drained of his speed. You need to be there before that happens," Martian Manhunter telepathically communicated to the Emerald Knight. Green Lantern heard this and nodded, flying towards Flash. Wonder Woman, meanwhile, pulled the New God back even further, making Darkseid lose his footing slightly and put his Omega Beams out of trajectory. Darkseid, enraged, grabbed the lasso and pulled it towards him, immediately turning and slamming his right fist into Wonder Woman's abdomen, sending her flying. He turned and both Superman and Martian Manhunter flew towards him, trying to knock him back. Darkseid pushed with his own strength, suspending the two in midair.

Green Lantern landed next to Flash, his green ring glowing brightly in the red horizon.

"Hey, Flash," Green Lantern said, smiling. "You look like you could use a hand."

"You joke right now?" Flash asked with the same smile, whilst keeping his focus on the Mother Boxes.

"I wasn't the one who called the biggest threat on Earth 'big guy'," Green Lantern replied. Batman glided over them and landed on the ground.

"Focus," Batman said strictly. "Once Flash begins to have Speed Force energy drained from him, you need to put as much of your Power Ring energy into the Mother Box as possible."

"I can try it, but my ring's power isn't bottomless," Green Lantern replied, pointing his ring at the Mother Box. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm calling in the Batmobile," Batman said, using the interface on his wrist. "You're going to need a little bit more backup." As if on cue, the Batmobile drove by Batman, and he jumped in. Immediately, the Batmobile began to transform into its battle mode, uncovering a machine gun and explosive cannon on its roof.

"Batmobile? Lame name, but damned if I have one of those," Green Lantern said out loud.

"Focus, GL," Flash said, lightning emanating out of his body and beginning to absorb into the Mother Box, clashing with the energy within that's responsible for its activation.

"Gotcha," Green Lantern replied, forming a dome over them and then firing a continuous blast into the Mother Box, supplementing the Speed Force energy that The Flash has. Suddenly, Darkseid's voice rocked the landscape, his voice enraged and booming.

"Parademons! Take the Mother Box for your lord!"

Swarms of Parademons began to blot out the red sky like clouds, flying towards Batman, Flash and Green Lantern. Batman began firing at the oncoming Parademon swarms, felling a number of the Parademons but not enough to shift the tides. Aquaman jumped on top of the Batmobile, fighting numerous Parademons who reached the ground at once, his trident slashing and slicing with relative ease.

"So, this is the plan?" Aquaman asked. "Where's Superman, the Martian and Diana?"

"Fighting Darkseid as we speak. Go and help them, Lantern and I have this," Batman replied, the window of his Batmobile raised.

"I'll go then; I have a score to settle with Darkseid," Aquaman said, jumping up high into the other battlefield.

"Lantern, can you still make constructs?" Batman asked.

"I can, but I'm rapidly running out of charge," Green Lantern replied. He then formed a turret construct over the dome, firing explosive rounds towards the Parademon hordes, felling some of them.

Superman and Martian Manhunter were knocked back due to Darkseid's recent attack, the New God hovering in front of them after doing so. Aquaman and Wonder Woman landed beside Superman and Martian Manhunter respectively, ready to face him.

"You've brought allies, Kryptonian," Darkseid said, his eyes glowing crimson red. "But it will not save you, nor will it save this world."

"Save it Darkseid," Superman replied. "We'll fight until we can no longer fight. All of us will."

"Good," Darkseid said, smiling. "I will mount your heads on my wall as trophies."

"How long do we need to distract him?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Until we get the signal from Flash," Martian Manhunter replied.

"Sounds fine by me," Aquaman interjected. Superman flew towards Darkseid, throwing a punch towards Darkseid's left cheek that the New God caught. Aquaman jumped over them, throwing his trident at Darkseid's right eye that Darkseid blocked. Martian Manhunter followed immediately after, throwing a punch from the New God's left side that finally connected with Darkseid's right cheek, sending Darkseid off balance. Wonder Woman slid past Darkseid and threw continuous punches at Darkseid's back, making the New God fall forward. Aquaman jammed his trident into Darkseid's right knee forcing him to kneel, allowing for Superman and Martian Manhunter to throw punches at the New God's face. Darkseid grunted in pain as he was being used as nothing but a punching bag and being thrown off balance.

"Enough," Darkseid said, catching Martian Manhunter's punch. Suddenly, Martian Manhunter began to clutch his head in agony.

"M'yriah!" Martian Manhunter shouted as he fell to the ground. Superman looked to his pain-riddled friend and threw another punch towards Darkseid's forehead, which the New God caught with little effort, then proceeding to headbutt the Kryptonian. Superman immediately recovered and sent an uppercut straight into Darkseid's chin. Darkseid barely flinched and grabbed Superman's torso with a single hand.

"Flash, we need that frequency reversal now!" Superman exclaimed. Martian Manhunter flew in and slammed his shoulder into Darkseid's chest, forcing Darkseid to let go of the Kryptonian.

"I've almost got it!" Flash said, yellow lightning courtesy of his use of the Speed Force emanating from his body alongside Green Lantern's power ring energy; suddenly the Mother Boxes began to separate slightly.

"It's working!" Flash exclaimed. "I need someone to separate the Mother Boxes at the right moment; once I do this we can use Martian Manhunter's telepathy to use them to create a mother box back to Apokolips."

Aquaman jabbed the blunt end of his trident into Darkseid's right cheek, with Wonder Woman following suit and throwing a punch at Darkseid's abdomen. Superman used his heat vision straight after, the beam hitting Darkseid's chest and forcing him backwards.

"J'onn, go," Superman said. "I have to keep Darkseid at bay." Martian Manhunter nodded and flew towards Green Lantern and Flash.

Martian Manhunter landed in front of Green Lantern and Flash after going through a swarm of Parademons with ease. Batman and Green Lantern were still united in their defense, and the yellow lightning emanating from the Flash were taking out many at a time as well.

"What do I need to do?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"I've barely separated them, so the Unity process is restarted; you have to telepathically suggest it to create a Boom Tube and reverse the process when the Unity is restored," Flash replied.

"I've got it," Martian Manhunter said. "Begin to take out your hands, Flash, you and Green Lantern are needed; I can keep them separated with my telekinesis." Flash stopped channeling the Speed Force and Green Lantern stopped channeling his Power Ring energy into the Mother Boxes.

"Are you sure we can leave this to you?" Green Lantern asked.

"Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman will not be enough to stop Darkseid's advance and Batman won't be enough to defend me from the oncoming Parademon swarms. This requires my entire focus," Martian Manhunter replied. "You are both needed for this final battle." Flash and Green Lantern nodded, the Scarlet Speedster zooming off towards Batman and creating vortices with his hands directed at the Parademons. Green Lantern created a construct of a train and directed it at the Parademon swarms, slamming it into the swarms and felling some more. Green Lantern then flew up and towards the fight between Darkseid and Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, firing cannon round constructs at the New God.

Martian Manhunter was deep in concentration as he attempted to telepathically communicate with the Mother Box, attempting to rewrite its code to reverse the terraforming process.

"What is your true purpose?" Martian Manhunter telepathically communicated to the Mother Box. The Mother Box communicated back in a 'ping' noise, which Martian Manhunter understood despite the differences in language.

"I will rewrite your sentience to reverse the terraforming process, please cooperate," Martian Manhunter said. The Martian created a psionic tether which attached to the three Mother Boxes' sentience, trying to control it. Within moments, a boom tube opened to Apokolips, and at the same time the terraforming began to reverse. Darkseid turned to see Martian Manhunter attempting to reverse the terraforming process and the New God's eyes glowed red with rage. Immediately, he slammed Aquaman into the ground and then clapped his hands together, creating a sonic boom that sent Superman and Wonder Woman flying.

"Insects, you all continue to writhe and resist me," Darkseid shouted. "Once I finish you all, I will put you in eternal torture, and put your heads on a pike in my throne room!" Darkseid ran towards Green Lantern, Flash and Batman. Green Lantern created three wall constructs to attempt to block his advance, while Superman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman landed next to the other three.

"You have to push him into the boom tube," Martian Manhunter telepathically communicated to the six heroes in the battlefield. "Once it closes I can reverse the terraforming process with ease." The six heroes watched Darkseid break through the walls and nodded, with Superman flying towards the New God and threw a punch that connected with Darkseid's right cheek. Green Lantern created constructs of ballistic missiles that he threw into Darkseid's chest, exploding on impact and knocking Darkseid back. Wonder Woman equipped her lasso and flung it around Darkseid's legs, pulling it and tying Darkseid's legs together. Darkseid, however, began to hover and grabbed the lasso, pulling it towards him and slamming his shoulder into Wonder Woman's abdomen.

"Your resistance is futile," Darkseid said. "I will now begin your journey-"

"I've had enough of you!" Superman said, throwing a punch that connected with Darkseid's left cheek that sent him flying towards the Boom Tube, landing on the ground short of it. Superman's eyes turned red and he released his heat vision, making Darkseid block it with his right forearm. Wonder Woman and Aquaman joined Superman, with Wonder Woman jamming her sword into Darkseid's calf and Aquaman jamming the opposite end of his trident into Darkseid's knee, forcing the New God on one knee. Green Lantern immediately followed afterwards, creating a construct of a ten ton weight strapped to a chain on Darkseid's neck, forcing Darkseid into the boom tube.

"No! I will not be denied!" Darkseid shouted. "I swear-"

"Not today, Darkseid! Not ever!" Superman replied, flying towards the New God after the other heroes cleared out and threw a punch that connected with Darkseid's chest, knocking him into the Boom Tube and on the other side.

"J'onn! Close it, now!" Batman said, standing next to Martian Manhunter.

"I have it," Martian Manhunter said, amplifying the psionic tether on the Mother Boxes and forcing the boom tube that Darkseid went through close. At the same time, the red skies cleared to show the dark night sky, the moon shining brightly. Parademons began to retreat into boom tubes across the city, the once chaotic city becoming quiet again. Batman looked at the destruction the battle in the East End caused and Superman walked behind him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not very used to saying thank you, but... Thank you," Batman said, turning to Superman and the other five heroes. "To all of you, for making sure Gotham's destruction didn't spread anywhere else."

"We'll be here to help, Batman," Superman replied. "In fact, we should form our own group.

"Like, a league of justice?" Flash said, scratching his head. Green Lantern chuckled at the remark.

"I have a Space Sector to protect, I don't have time for the Super Seven or whatever you want to call us," Green Lantern declared.

"You should reconsider," Martian Manhunter said, holding the separated Mother Boxes on his arms. "There will be threats like Darkseid that will come to Earth, and its evident that the world will need us more than ever. It's going to take more than just the seven of us individually to defeat a world-ending threat like him again."

"I agree," Wonder Woman said. "The world needs to know we're willing to fight for their safety, and I'm sure there will be other heroes who will look to a group to rally behind."

"Diana's right," Aquaman followed. "This would be a good opportunity to let the people of the world know that it is under our watchful eyes." Green Lantern finally conceded and shrugged. Batman's expression stayed stoic.

"Gotham's under my jurisdiction, and as such will require most of my time, considering the damage that was done to this part of the city," Batman said. "I will be part time, only."

"So, then its settled," Superman said. "The Justice League. That's who we will be."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And so concludes Justice League: Unity! I will be creating an epilogue chapter in this story before marking it as complete, so stay tuned! Please don't forget to leave a review if you like it!


	9. Epilogue

**One Month Later,** **Washington D.C.**

Washington D.C.'s skies were blue and clear; there was no cloud in sight and the yellow sun was shining at its brightest. Tourists and locals alike were walking on the busy but calm streets of the American capital, but all stopped to watch two figures which flew over them. One wore a blue and red Kryptonian body suit, with an "S" on his chest and a flowing red cape, while the other wore Amazonian armour, with a blue plate-skirt and red armour covering her chest and abdomen, with grey bracelets that gleamed in the sunlight.

"It's Superman and Wonder Woman!" a child exclaimed, pointing at the two figures flying in the sky. Superman and Wonder Woman flew over the Capitol and the White House, finally stopping at a building with two rectangular walls with an arch in the middle, covered in glass in the front which reflected the sun. Standing at the entrance was a man in a grey costume with a bat insignia on his chest, with a black cape and cowl which resembled the head of a bat. Superman and Wonder Woman landed on the ground, walking towards the Batman.

"You're late," Batman said.

"Sorry, I had a cat out of a tree to save," Superman said sarcastically, smiling. Wonder Woman smiled with him. Batman stayed silent.

"Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman are already inside," Batman said, turning around and walking into the entrance. Superman and Wonder Woman followed suit into the building.

"I'm surprised you had this built so quickly," Wonder Woman said, walking at the same pace as Superman, looking at the interior of the building. "We only designed this two weeks ago."

"It helps that the builder can move at near light speeds," Batman replied, glancing at Superman while walking. "Flash helped, and so did Hal."

"I knew a few pointers, besides this wouldn't have been possible without your finances, Bruce," Superman said, smiling.

"It was nothing," Batman replied, stopping at a door. Batman typed in a code and it opened after a few moments.

"Get inside, we have a lot to talk about." Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman all walked in to a large table with JLA engraved on it. In the middle was a hologram of the globe, and Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Martian Manhunter were sitting all around it. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman took the three seats on the front.

"You took your time," Flash said. "I thought you three would never show up."

"Patience is a virtue," Batman replied sarcastically.

"What's next?" Green Lantern said.

"We find more of us, and we expand our group," Aquaman said. Immediately, videos and photos of various heroes who fought in the Apokoliptan Crisis over a month ago, some were heroes who have come into the limelight, and others were heroes who have been active for years.


End file.
